South Jersey showdown

EVERYBODY ON the docks in Cape May will shake hands and share beers and say "great to see you again" while silently eyeing one another's million-dollar boats.

They'll swap stories about the big ones that threw the hook, like all fishermen do, but eventually they'll separate into two distinct groups and begin to prep for a duel.

Some will board Viking boats and some will board Ocean boats, and the owners, crew and manufacturers of these two South Jersey luxury "sport fishing yacht" brands will set out from South Jersey Marina in total darkness on Thursday morning, hoping to best one another in a fishing contest in the deep ocean canyons off the coast.

The annual Viking/Ocean showdown in Cape May, now in its 26th year, is a unique and friendly rivalry between two family owned businesses that make some of the world's best fishing boats, everybody involved insists. They're located just 10 miles apart from one another. It's like Coke and Pepsi coming together for an amicable taste-off festival where everybody wins.

Viking, started by the Healey family in 1964, won last year's tournament, but both companies shrug off the "winning" angle, at least publicly, saying the trophy's in a broom closet or something.

Losing bothers everyone a little bit though, right?

"Friendly rivalries are one thing, but finding fish is another. It's for fun out there, but it's also for bragging rights," said Rick Weber, 48, of South Jersey Marina at the Canyon Club. The tournament begins Wednesday and runs through Sunday, with a pool party, meetings and two days of fishing. The field is usually about 50 boats, split between Vikings and Oceans, said Pete Frederiksen, a spokesman for Viking. They're all out looking for the animal kingdom's version of high-performance speed boats - marlin, tuna and mako sharks.

There are more competitive tournaments in South Jersey with big money on the line, like the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 next month, Frederiksen said, and the Viking/Ocean showdown offers boat owners an opportunity to prepare for them while socializing.

"It's sort of like Woodstock," he said. "You see people just smiling and laughing and really just enjoying themselves."

Collectively, the net worth of 50 Ocean and Viking yachts could impact a small city's budget, not to mention the cost to fuel them and all the high-tech gear they're carrying. Viking boats range from a 42-foot model to its new 92-footer. The price tags range from $1 million to $11 million.

They've already sold about a dozen of the 92-footers, too, and those are vessels that could leave the dock at Viking's sprawling manufacturing plant on the Bass River in New Gretna, Burlington County, and sail to Australia. Still, as a fishing boat, it could make 1,000 pounds of ice a day during that voyage.

On a weekday morning last month, the final touches were being putting on an 82-foot boat that was in the water at Viking headquarters. Workers and visitors had to wear dust covers on their shoes to tour the boat. Below deck, two men were installing a wine refrigerator. The craft had a flat-screen television, multiple bedrooms and varnished woods. Despite its "sport fishing" designation, it was difficult to imagine a bloody tuna flopping around on its deck.

"This one is headed to Italy," Frederiksen said.

In terms of the market, Viking has dwarfed Ocean in scope and sales. Viking has 1,000 employees working on multiple shifts at its plant, making almost everything there is on a boat in-house, from the cabinets to the propellers. The four production lines there would make Henry Ford proud, with massive boats in various stages of assembly, all of them covered in workers like bees on a honeycomb.

"We have a metal shop, a design shop and a wood shop," Frederiksen said, yelling above the din of saws and power drills. "We're constantly building boats. We have eight dealers in the U.S. and international dealers, too."

Ocean Yachts is only 10 miles away, a little farther inland in the Pine Barrens, on the Mullica River in Atlantic County. The scene there wasn't nearly so hectic on that same weekday. Many of the boats in the Ocean warehouse were older models there for service or overhauls.

General manager John Leek IV, whose grandfather started the company in 1977, said Ocean is still producing new, state-of-the art sport-fishing yachts, including a 64-foot boat they plan to showcase at the showdown.

"Viking is doing exceptionally well and they've earned it," Leek said. "At one time, we and Viking were on the same playing field. We're more of a mom-and-pop operation now. We're maybe a little bit more blue collar."

Ocean's "blue-collar" boats will still run a fisherman anywhere from $600,000 to $5 million.

"Our customer recognizes the value in the Ocean. They appreciated the savings and are willing to compromise on certain fit and finish things," Leek said.

Viking and Ocean both weathered recessions, which always hit boating markets hard as people pull back on extra spending, as well as fluctuating luxury taxes. That's mostly because, nice decor and modern amenities aside, they still cater to boaters who want to fish. That's more than a hobby for many, including guys like Lenny Smith of Brick Township, Ocean County.

"I'm actually getting ready to leave now and go home and get on the boat to head out," said Viking boat owner Smith, 58, a project manager for an electric company, purchased his used 1991 Viking for $155,000 and dropped an additional $180,000 on new engines.

Used Vikings and Oceans are actually the biggest competition both companies have in the market. The boats hold their value, and their reputation for being well-made and durable means buyers don't have a problem dropping six figures on a boat that's nearly 25 years old.

"They really are the top American manufacturers of sport-fishing vessels," said Patrick Sciacca, editor-in-chief of Yachting Magazine.

The companies have mechanics on duty at all times, waiting to be dispatched to marinas all over the world in case of an emergency.

"If something goes wrong and you're in Beirut, we can get something out to you. We've flown specialists out to Australia," Frederiksen said.

Leek, whose family has been building boats in New Jersey since the 1700s, said there's still room for two luxury sport-fishing yacht makers in New Jersey, but there's room for little else on the docks in Cape May this coming week.

"If you go down there on any given weekend in the summer, you'll see the docks are loaded with Oceans and loaded with Vikings," he said. "It's as close to peace and harmony as you're going get in the boating business."

Still, come next Sunday, when the fish are all weighed in and Viking/Ocean showdown is done in Cape May, there can be only one winner, even if no one cares where the trophy goes.